Nintendo Launches WiiWare Service In Japan

Nintendo has officially launched its WiiWare service in Japan, and a total of nine out of eleven previously-revealed titles are now available on the service - which offers originally-developed digitally downloadable titles. Initial pricing has also been revealed for the first available titles, ranging from the equivalent of $5 to $15. The least expensive of these is Angels Solitaire, which is priced at 500 Wii Points. In Japan, this is the equivalent of ¥500 ($4.86) and in the U.S. would be $5.00 exactly – although there is no guarantee that Wii Point prices will be identical in the West. The other games listed for the launch include Okiraku Ping Pong at 500 Wii Points ($5), Hudson’s 2D shoot ‘em-up Star Soldier R at 800 Wii Points ($8), Saku Saku Animal Panic at 1,000 Wii Points ($10) and Scrabble style board game Kotoba no Puzzle Mojipittan at 1,000 Wii Points ($10). Puzzle game Lonpos is also priced at 1,000 Wii Points ($10), as are key Nintendo franchise titles Pokemon Ranch Channel (pictured) and Dr Mario & Saikin Bokumetsu. The most expensive game is Square Enix’s Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles - My Life as King. At 1,500 Wii Points ($15), it is the most expensive download of any kind so far available on the Wii. Although the line-up of initial titles is likely to vary considerably from that in Japan, a North American launch for the service is scheduled for May, with several Western developers, including the previously reported WayForward Technologies and previously interviewed Frontier Developments supporting the service.